The Prince and Me
by ThatCheshireSmile
Summary: Wally is just hungry. He didn't expect to find Artemis watching... Is that The Prince and Me?


For most people, being bored isn't a problem. Neither is being hungry. But as far as Wallace West was concerned, experiencing either boredom or hunger was possibly the worst thing that could happen to him. He would complain loudly, disturb the people around him, and generally just annoy anyone who was in close proximity.

And on those rare occasions when he was bored and hungry? Oh, forget it.

So thats why, on this fine Saturday afternoon, nobody at the Justice League headquarters wanted to be around Wally. Whenever he had approached any of them, they would quickly make an excuse and run off. With Robin, it was training. M'gann apparently was busy teaching Supey 'popular teen culture' and well, obviously that tied up Superboy too. And Artemis? Wally shuddered. He didn't even want to now what Artemis was doing.

Sighing and getting up from his previous position on his bed, Wally decided to tackle the greater of his two demons; the hunger. He ran through the halls of the headquarters until he reached the kitchen, almost running into a wall in his excitement. Dashing to the fridge, he almost sighed in relief as he threw open the door. Unfortunately, the available options were slim. Grapes? Nah, too healthy. Some pasta? Wally shook his head. M'gann made it. That Chinese takeout from a few weeks ago? He contemplated eating it for a few seconds before deciding against it. That mold on the edge of the carton probably meant something.

Finally deciding on some leftover chicken, four slices of pizza, five pudding cups, and two cans of Mountain Dew, Wally unceremoniously drooped all of food on the kitchen table. Excited to start his mini-feast, he quickly turned back to grab a knife and fork when something strange caught his eye.

Artemis was on the couch, cleaning her arrows while watching the television. Now, this sight usually was not strange at all, but today was different. Today, Wally noticed what she was watching. Something that he swore up and down she would never watch. Something that made him rub his eyes in disbelief only to have him blink rapidly when once again he saw the same thing.

Artemis Crock was watching a romance movie.

And not just any romance movie. It was one of the cheesiest, stupidest love stories that ever had the privilege to be seen on screen. And, unfortunately for Wally, he knew exactly what he was talking about when he said this because of a certain night when his Aunt Iris had the flu.

Artemis was watching The Prince and Me.

And this wasn't even the most shocking part.

Artemis was smiling.

It wasn't a major smile or anything. Just a tiny curl of her lips. But still, this shocked the speedster more than you could ever know.

Wally looked at the television screen. Though he couldn't remember their names, he remembered the general gist of the movie. Common girl falls for a prince. A typical cliche. On the television screen, the prince was dancing with his girlfriend, the both of them laughing and smiling. Wally almost gagged at the sappiness. She was wearing a (what some, he assumed, would call pretty) pink ball gown and the prince was in what Wally dubbed his 'prince charming' attire, complete with the navy blue jacket and gold shoulder pads. The couple was twirling around the ballroom, seeming to ignore the other guests. They were oblivious to anyone but themselves. It was a classic fairytale scene.

And Artemis was smiling at it.

Elbow resting on her knee, her hand cupping her face, she looked every bit the teenage girl longing for her own fairytale.

Wally was dumbstruck. Artemis, Artemis the girl who kicked bad guys' butts in her free time, Artemis who insulted him every chance she got, Artemis with the fiery attitude and the no-nonsense demeanor, was smiling at a silly romance scene.

And he was the only one to see it.

Mentally cursing himself for not having a camera, he silently fumed. How would the others believe him if he didn't have proof? This was major blackmail material!

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a soft laugh from the couch. Eyes widened so much that they looked like saucers, Wally peeked out of the kitchen again to see Artemis covering her mouth as she giggled at another scene. Apparently, she thought the prince using a deli slicer was funny.

He had never heard her laugh before. Of course, there were the times when she would scoff at him or sarcastically chuckle, but this was entirely different. It was carefree, light. It had no malice in it what so ever. And it did strange things to Wally's stomach.

Reconsidering, he thought about his original idea of blackmail. Although it was a great idea, he was more than a little reluctant to mess up this…whatever it was. It was rare to see her so happy. And when he did, those few times were only a couple of seconds long. He never got to really see what Artemis was like when she wasn't being serious.

Deciding to let her be, Wally silently placed a chair from the kitchen table right where he could see Artemis. He picked up a slice of pizza and ate, watching her laugh at all of the funny scenes, smile at the sappy ones, and frown at the occasional sad ones. It was fascinating watching her facial expressions, especially those other than a sneer or a scowl.

A smile on his own face, Wally knew that his team no longer had to worry about him pestering them today.

He had found the perfect solution.


End file.
